Developed by Punjab Agricultural University, these new varieties were approved for general cultivation during the meeting of State Variety Approval Committee (SVAC), held under the Chairmanship of Mangal Singh Sandhu, Director of Agriculture, Punjab.

Informing about features of new varieties, PAU, Director, Research S S Gosal said PR 123, a new rice variety is a semi dwarf, stiff-strawed and lodging tolerant variety with dark green and erect leaves. Resistant to prevalent pathotypes of bacterial blight pathogen, this crop's average plant height is 105 cm and matures in about 143 days after seeding.

About Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509, Gosal said it is an early maturing variety, taking about 125 days to mature after seeding and has average paddy yield is 15.7 quintals per acre. Its average height is 94 cm, he said, adding that the variety possesses extra long slender grains with excellent cooking and eating quality, he said.

Furthermore, Gosal said the canes of sugarcane variety CoPb 91 are tall, thick and yellow green in colour. "The average cane yield is 410 quintals per acre, whereas its juice contains 17 percent sucrose in the month of January," he said.

It is tolerant to the prevalent pathotypes of red rot disease and is a good ratooner, he added. Gosal said soybean variety SL 958 has shinning, light yellow coloured grains with black hilum. Its grains contain 41.7 per cent protein and 20.2 per cent oil, he told, saying that the variety is highly resistant to yellow mosaic virus and soybean mosaic virus, he said.

It takes about 142 days to mature and its average yield is 7.3 quintal grains per acre, he added. About the cotton variety FMDH 9, Dr Gosal said it is a genetic male sterility based desi cotton variety with green plant body, narrow lobed leaves, white flowers and red spot inside the petal.

It possesses medium size bolls with fluffy opening. It vacates the field in about 160 days for timely sowing of rabi crops, he said. With average yield is 10.0 quintals per acre, this is resistant to jassid and whitefly and tolerant to Fusarium wilt and bacterial blight, he added.